Dec 22, 2020
The point of identifying trends is to help hedge one’s future risk. If we can predict what will come we are more likely to flourish where there is a real risk of being overrun by events. As I have for many years, here I look ahead a year to two out and attempt to articulate how current trends will impact the wine industry. In some respects, this year’s foray into predicting the future is easier than in past years. For…
Dec 15, 2020
One of the fundamental principles of thievery (as it has been explained to me) is the value per pound of the item to be stolen. The greater this ratio, the more complex the thriving operation: heavy things are hard to move while lighter things are more easily spirited away. This explains why identity theft is so attractive. The object of the theft is without weight. This calculation, however, has always called into question for me the reasonableness of stealing wine,…
Dec 3, 2020
Napa Valley and Sonoma County may remain the premier wine destinations in the country. However, the recent exposure that Oregon wine has received has solidified it’s place as a significant destination for wine travelers…specifically, the Willamette Valley. So, the question arises, if you are looking forward to a post-vaccine wine holiday, which destination should you choose? Here, we compare the merits of Napa Valley vs Willamette Valley (north). In the context of wine regions, these are two very different placed,…
Mar 24, 2020
I began running my wine communications consultancy out of a home office in 1994 when I left a wine PR firm that I began my career with and went out on my own. There was a brief moment of a year and a half when I was lured away to work for a company in an office every day. However, for nearly 30 years, I’ve worked out of my home, physically alone. And there are rules to make it work….
Oct 28, 2019
If I didn’t know better, I’d assume the entirety of Northern California “Wine Country” was on fire. But I do know better. And so should the media. I’m not the most obsessive stickler for accuracy. However, when I constantly hear the media inform the world that “Fires Burn California Wine Country” I cringe at its severe inaccuracy. It’s a bit like claiming that “snow comes to California” when in fact there is only snow on the mountain peaks. It’s not…